The Stench at Pooh Corner

I've been working my way through the various websites for local governments in New Zealand as part of my job building the GreenPro database. Just a few moments ago I started looking at the site for Hutt City. While scanning the site map, my interest was piqued by the following words, "Pooh Corner".

Of course, I had to check it out! Here's what I found:

Did you know?

There are 8,318 registered dogs in Hutt City. Assume each defecates twice a day = 16,636 droppings a day. Total for the year = 6,072,140. Assume that only 20% of dog owners DO NOT pick up and dispose of the dropping safely. Then at a conservative guess, a total of 1,214,428 droppings will likely end up polluting the environment, either on land or in a watercourse.

Note that unregistered dogs are not included in this calculation!

Dog droppings are a source of E-coli and other diseases, including Parvo-virus, roundworms, tapeworms, distemper, hookworm

A little further down the page:

Many people observe dog owners not tidying up after their dogs. For those of you who observe this unhealthy behaviour and don't know what to say, here is a selection of one-liners you may wish to try

1. Don't be a party pooper, use your pooper scooper.
2. Thou gualling, weak-hinged vassal, uplift thy foul shyte forthwithe.
3. Does your dog know any other tricks?
4. Do you prefer Countdown or Foodtown bags?
5. Bonus! If you pick it up now you'll keep your hands warm
6. May the diseases you inflict upon others be visited upon YOU.
7. May I please do the same on YOUR doorstep??
8. May you walk on the poop of 500 Great Danes.

All I can say is that I give them plaudits for handling a truly crappy topic with such humor -- while still underscoring a very serious problem.